Windorah Solar Power Station

Windorah, Australia

The Windorah Solar Farm was Ergon Energy's first solar farm trial near the town of Windorah in the Shire of Barcoo, Queensland, Australia. The plant used five concentrated solar dishes or reflectors which were manufactured and installed by Solar Systems. This was expected to save up to 100,000 litre

s of diesel fuel per year. The integration of solar farm and diesel power was a first for Ergon Energy. The dishes contained 112 square mirrors each measuring 1.1 m across. The five solar reflectors sat atop 13 m masts and could rotate 360°. The array was expected to produce about 180 kilowatts of electricity for up to 10 months of the year. The total cost of the project was A$4.5 million with $1 million being provided by the federal government. The solar farm was opened in December 2008, and on sunny days was expected to supply the total daytime electricity requirements for the town of Windorah, with a population of 100. When the solar power ran low the existing diesel power station provided electricity. Not all of the dishes were used all the time. Some dishes were parked depending on the town's energy requirements. In 2013, Ergon Energy reported that the plant was operating effectively...

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